


do you know what's worth fighting for?

by ShippingThings



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Army, Alternate Universe - Military, F/F, Hints Of Lena Luthor Having PTSD, Kara comes from a military family, Kara is a rookie, Lena is Bad Ass, Lex Luthor deserted, Near Death, Private Kara Danvers, Sergeant Lena Luthor, US Army, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10025972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippingThings/pseuds/ShippingThings
Summary: On her third month stationed at STAR Army Base, Lena decides her second tour maybe wasn’t such a good idea.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Alex ([tumblr](balexi.tumblr.com), [ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Bal3xicon/pseuds/Bal3xicon)) and Bucky ([tumblr](http://buckythirteen.tumblr.com/), [ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Remyroo17/pseuds/Remyroo17)) for looking at this for me :)))
> 
> All my friends made me do this, okay?
> 
> Title from 21 Guns by Green Day (Bucky helped me pick that one out)

**1.**

On her third month stationed at STAR Army Base, Lena decides her second tour maybe wasn’t such a good idea. Nothing has been easy since her first tour ended with a big ordeal and weeks worth of questioning before she was released back into active duty. Little did she know, as she’d bounced her leg, willing these questions she’d already answered hundreds of times to cease, that being available for duty would be worse.

Lena hadn’t really gotten a full grasp, being locked up in a cell, that everyone knew who her brother was now and who she was in relation. She’d done nothing wrong, but Lex had committed the biggest crime you could in the military.

He’d left his post. He’d gone off base, to the enemy, not as a prisoner of war, but  _ willingly _ .

Everyone knows Sergeant Lena Luthor is related to deserter Lex Luthor, but she’s the one being punished for it. 

Lena is pulling new, somehow even worse quality, sheets that the one’s she’d had before onto her bunk when the next penalty comes.

"Luthor!" CSM Grant calls, prompting the turn of her head.

The blonde woman, who looks far too petite to be a part of the army, stands in the doorway, staring right at her.

Lena stands.

"Come with me." 

Lena follows her down the hall, ever the loyal soldier. She won't risk falling behind.

The Command Sergeant Major leads her into an office, gesturing for her to sit, her expression stony. Lena follows suit, but in her head, there’s a smirk.

She is sure she's getting reassigned. That they're finally letting her off the short leash, putting her somewhere her skills can be used to their full potential.

"We have a new assignment for you."

Lena is ready to get promoted. To get out of this shit hole of a-

"We're putting you in charge of a rookie."

" _ What? _ " It's out of line, to snap at Cat Grant, her superior officer, like that, but she can't help it. A  _ rookie? _ Being put in charge of a rookie is even worse than the other shit they'd had her doing for the last two years.

"Private Danvers,” Lena knows that last name, “is related to Alex Danvers," Lena's breath hitches, "and Clark Kent." 

_ Shit. _

Alex Danvers is practically a legend. Known for her kill count of hundreds. Clark Kent is known for almost the opposite, he’d saved seven men after an IUD explosion and twenty more after an ambush less than two days later. He’d been gifted the medal of honor for his actions and then had gone back into service for his country.

She wants to say  _ you've got to be kidding _ , tell her  _ hell no _ . Get up and walk, but she knows that would result in even more retaliation, even more speculation she agrees with her brother.

So instead, Lena clenches her jaw and nods.

 

**2.**

Kara walks into the barracks, Cat at her side and duffle bag over her shoulder, with a grin that makes her eyes half shut with the swell of her cheeks. 

It reminds Lena of pictures she’d seen of dogs looking happy. This makes her frown.

“Sergeant!” Cat shouts and Lena stands, moving quickly to be face to face with the two women. “Private Danvers this is Sergeant Luthor,” there’s a pause over her last name, “she’ll be your superior officer and in charge of getting you acclimated here.”

Kara’s smile get’s impossibly wider. “Hi! I’m Kara,” she holds out her hand.

Lena’s eyes move to size the girl up, ignoring the introductory gesture. She doesn’t focus on the soft blue of her eyes, or how the light in them will no doubt be snuffed out by the end of her first tour. “No. Here, to me, you’re Private Danvers.”

“O-Okay- Miss Lut-”

“Sergeant. Not Miss.”

Kara nods, going right back into her sunny disposition.

Cat’s gives Lena a long satisfied stare, before spinning on her heel and walking out.

“So! Sergeant-”

"Let’s get something straight. We are not friends. I'm in charge of you. I’m in charge of everyone in this room,” she gestures back to the rest of her platoon, who are watching this interaction with interest. “Of making sure you don't get any of these women killed with any  _ idealism _ . Stay out of our way, keep your head down, don’t do anything stupid and you and I won't have any problems."

Kara’s happy expression finally falters.

“Your bunk is this one.” She nods to the empty bed beside hers, then, as she’s about the retreat to her own stop, remembers something else crucial to making this unsatisfactory situation manageable. “Oh, and one more thing. Don’t call me by my last name unless someone of higher rank is around.”

“Then what do I call you?”

“Lena.”

 

**3.**

At first, Lena has high hopes that Kara will have some idea of what to do, that it won't be so bad. Maybe her family genetics had carried through to her.

But then a picture starts to form.

When Lena is leading her girls in a march, Kara stumbles, causing the girls behind her to break rank. When Lena goes to investigate, she finds that the Private had tripped over _ air _ . When she’d given the soldier a look, Kara had just given her a sheepish shrug in reply.

Lena scowls. “Drop and give me one hundred.”

Danvers nods, dropping down onto her hands, her defined shoulder blades protrude through her white shirt as she begins the exercise. Lena keeps her eyes trained there for a moment before she realizes the rest of her unit has also stayed behind.

“The rest of you! Keep going! I wanna make sure our new recruit doesn’t skip out.”

Vazquez snickers, nudging Sinclair as they turn to go. Sinclair just rolls her eyes back, going back into her jog.

That same night, in the mess hall, Kara runs, food tray first, into Major Lane, spattering her pristine blue uniform with a mess of food. Before Kara can even start to babble out an apology, Lena is there, smoothing it over. She knows Lucy won't be too mad, but she doesn't want to risk it. She ends up volunteering her entire team for KP duty.

She hears their collective groan at the idea of cleaning after their already rigorous day of exercises, but she figures that this could result in some of her soldiers taking a special interest in making sure Kara acclimates to military life better. Aka,  _ gets her shit together _ .

Barely an hour passes and somehow Kara breaks _ two plastic trays _ . Lena sighs and sends her away, knowing she’ll have to report and hear about this.

When they get back to the bunks, somehow, Kara has broken an entire bed frame, snapped the metal right off in her hands. It’s not even  _ her bed _ .

Right as she’s about to reprimand Kara, Cat appears behind them in the doorway. Lena doesn’t need the look, but she gets it anyway, sighing as she follows her down the hall.

CSM Grant lectures her for forty-five minutes about the ruckus and destruction her platoon caused that evening. Lena takes it, agreeing with everything Cat says, but coming to a decision inside herself. Kara Danvers is the runt of her family. They must’ve seen her in basic training, clumsy and innocent, and thought,  _ hey, I know who we could send this one to _ .

With the family ties attached to her, most would assume Kara is just as gifted as the rest of her family, so should anything happen, one person would be to blame for any harm to Private Danvers. That person is Lena. 

Cat confirms as much.

At dinner a few nights later, Lena hears Kara tell someone she’s adopted and Lena drops her head, taking a deep breath. Of  _ course _ .

 

**4.**

It’s less than a week later when they get sent to back up another unit in a battle.

The synchronized steps of the boots cause loud thuds in the dirt as they move. Lena is ushering her girls onto their armored trucks when Kara appears at her side instead of her assigned post.

“Do we know what the situation there is? What if it’s all just a misunderstanding?”

Lena slams the door behind Vasquez, turns to Kara and grabs the front of her uniform, pulling her to be face to face.

"We do what the government tells us to,” she growls, shoving Kara away and getting into the passenger's side. “Now get in the truck and do as I say!”

* * *

They’re crouched down behind the very vehicles they’d arrived here in, sitting as close as possible to give the hail of gunfire ricocheting off the opposite side a worse chance of hitting them.

Occasionally, one will pop up, aiming their guns over the edge and firing a few rounds back. No one can stay up for long.

Lena has already called for backup. By the time they’d arrived they people they’d been sent to retrieve had been all but taken out. She knows if they don’t stop this soon to get out they’ll be in the same boat. She’s trying to come up with a plan when Private Danvers starts to move, inching along the side of the vehicle opposite to Lena’s as of she’s about to book it for something.

“Danvers! What are you doing?”

“Getting us out of here!” 

And then she’s gone, into the downpour, along with Lena’s sanity.

“Shit!” she curses, moving herself after Kara.

“What are you doing?” Vasquez echoes her earlier question, eyebrows raised higher than Lena had ever seen them, an expression mirrored on the rest of her platoon’s face.They must think she’s due for a psyche eval.

Lena just shakes her head and runs out after Kara.

They blow up two gas tanks, killing enough of the enemy that most of the others run off, but in an attempt to help, Private Smythe gets shot twice, once in the hip, once in the thigh.

Their trucks are so damaged they have to be airlifted away, Lena knows how much money that will cost the Army and how much of her time when they get back will be devoted to hearing Cat Grant’s voice.

“That was great, right?” Kara exclaims once they’re in the air. 

Lena attempts to wave her off, hand going to push her own shoulder back into place.

The younger girl turns to her battered comrades for support. “Right guys?”

Everyone just stares up at her uncomfortably.

“Really? No one else thought that was-”

“Sit down, Private!” Lena barks and scared into submission, Kara does as she’s told.

* * *

Five hours after they’ve returned and everyone has been treated for their injuries, Siobhan's stuff packed for Honorable Discharge and Lena sufficiently chastised, she returns to find her team waiting for her.

The women must feel her agitation that hadn’t been allowed to cool with reminders of her relation to Lex and her shortcomings being blasted into her ears for hours on end, so none of them speak up as she marches in. Collapsing onto her bed and yanking off her shirt with a sigh, Lena winces as she moves her arm in a particularly painful direction.

Then a pair of boots appears in her peripheral vision. “Lena, I-”

"Listen up, Danvers,” she counters, moving to stand as she pulls her gray ARMY sweater over her bruised skin. “I get that you're new. I get that you don't  _ understand _ the magnitude of everything you do here. Your mistakes could  _ kill _ another member of this unit. One slip... One second off, and you're just as much a part of the problem as the enemy.  _ Hell _ , today your rash decision making almost got Private Smythe the purple heart. You’re so  _ lucky _ she’ll be able to return after her leg heals.”

“I just wanted to do what’s right.”

“You doing what’s right get’s us  _ all _ in trouble.”

“What?”

“We’re on  _ detail _ for the next month.” This time, no one groans. Lena begins to look through her stuff for a book, trying to ignore the way she can feel herself boiling over.

“Why? All I did was-”

"Don't you get it?" Lena hisses, whipping around to glare at Kara. "I have to work ten times harder than everyone else at this. They  _ hate _ me. Members of this team  _ hate _ me. My brother  _ deserted _ . That means everyone thinks that I'm gonna be like him. That I'm gonna leave them behind to die, join the other side. I'm not, but no one believes me when I say it. One thing goes wrong and I'm immediately the one who gets punished. I'm the one who has to deal with the aftermath.

"Now that's fine. Doesn't matter to me. I'm willing to do the work. Hell, after the pain Lex caused I'd ask for it... But don't make this any more dangerous for the people I’m trying to protect. I’m trying to make a name for myself outside of my family. If you could help make it a good one by not doing anything that will get you  _ killed _ , that would be fantastic!”

Kara goes silent, her face going into a kicked puppy pout. 

“Just because your sister and your cousin are goddamn  _ super soldiers _ doesn't make you indestructible."

Kara’s mouth opens like she wants to say something.

Lena decides she can’t stand to hear a single syllable from her mouth. "I can't imagine the lecture I'd get if you got your leg blown off.  _ Jesus _ .” She feels like that's the wrong way to end the conversation. “Not to mention you didn’t follow orders!”

The other women look like they feel bad for both of them.

Lena loves all of them and she knows she’s being a little harsh, but she's grateful for the fact that they seem to understand as she drops back into her bunk and pulls the covers over herself to hide.

 

**5.**

It’s raining. There’s barely any cover except for some tarps, slabs of wood they’d secured into place and some sand bags. There’s a bucket in the corner that they have filling up with drops of water from the ceiling.

They’ve been relocated. Somewhere more desolate. Dangerous. They don’t even have bunkers. They’d had to build their new base atop this mountain.

Lena had heard of places like this, she just never thought she’d been in one.

It's late. The scent of a fire long snuffed out by rain drifts through the tents. It’s nice, not suffocating, just the hint of the smell which signifies the warmth Lena can no longer feel. Paired with the pitter-pat against the wood and rock, Lena can almost convince herself to be completely calm.

But then comes the louder rat-a-tat from outside and Lena is reminded that more women are out there, watching out and other people, down the valley are shooting at them and that if there was one well-aimed strike from an RPG, she could die at any given moment.

Taking a deep breath, she attempts to get more comfortable, adjusting herself in her sleeping bag. She stares up at the mismatched Christmas lights someone had shipped over and strung up a week or so back.

Across the space Lena can hear other people talking and wishes she could join them, but her thoughts are too overwhelming and she worries that if she tries to have a conversation she'll come up looking like a mess, so she stays put.

“Oh yeah?” She picks out Kara’s voice easily through the murmurs. “Hand it over, I’ll show you.”

Rustling follows and then Lena hears something open, she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself by looking, so she just keeps her ears trained.

“Oh gosh.” The slide of rough uniform fabric across a smooth surface, then soft rap of knuckles across wood and a ring of something through the air.  _ A guitar _ . Vazquez's guitar. “It’s been so  _ long _ .”

She can hear Kara’s hands move along the strings, then comes the first pluck and she’s off. Every note sounds calm. It brings Lena back to the realm of normalcy. It feels like it’s been so long since she’s heard anything so alive.

Sure, they have music on tablets and ipods and anything they can plug into the generators, but nothing sounds like this. Since arriving at the outpost, everyone’s spirits have dwindled, everyone drags through the day, like zombies. Lena does her best to keep them moving, keep their reasons for doing this alive and their wits sharp. 

Kara is a help with that and Lena tries not to get too on top of her anymore. She’s been much better about following orders after the Siobhan incident. It had all been too much, Lena shouldn’t have gone off like that. She feels awful.

This though, the music, feels alive. It makes her heart feel like it’s beating and the hopefulness she puts on for her unit seem like less of a facade. 

Then, Kara starts to hum along, softly singing the occasional lyric she can bring back from memory. The pluck and harmony that rings through the air gives Lena something to focus on to drown out the echoes of shots ringing off through the valley. She can nearly imagine she’s back home, in a soft bed, a glass of wine at her bedside and a beautiful girl serenading her.

Then, it comes to a halt, one final strum that signals the end and Lena’s little piece of tranquility shatters. Suddenly the gunshots are right outside these fragile walls and her brother could be the one sending them her way.

The other girls clap and send off soft little whoops.

“That was really beautiful, Kara,” a girl breathes.

Vazquez shakes her head, blinking repeatedly. “Yeah! I didn’t know you could play.”

“It’s nothing! Realy.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, willing herself to go back to this place. Her heart thuds like she’s running a marathon and her hands shake. She hasn’t realized how much she’s missed feeling like breathing is easy, like there’s no rock deep in her chest weighing her down, the breathing sometimes feels like it takes all of her energy with her anxiety overlaying it.

“Don’t stop,” she says, commanding as much of her voice to be steady as possible, but it still shakes.

There is a long pause, but then there’s more shuffling and the sounds get nearer to her. They must get it. That Lena’s too amped up too go to sleep without some sort of comfort. There are nights like that for them too, Lena has done her best to be a calm voice for them when they need it, never showing any of her own weakness. They must see this as her finally letting them in, or breaking down, but either way, Lena will take it.

Then the chorus of strings comes again.

“Thank you,” Lena breathes, opening her eyes to meet Kara’s briefly.

“... Yeah.” Kara looks almost starstruck as she stares back. “Yeah, of course.”

Offering one last smile, Lena turns over on her side and drifts off with the music as her lullaby.

 

**6.**

As each day passes, as more members of the company get wounded and sent home and as others get sent back in boxes, Lena marks days off on her calendar. Ten months to go.

After the twentieth causality, Lena starts to believe she won't be getting out of this valley alive.

 

**7.**

They go out on patrol four out of seven days of the week, walking through rough terrain, taking different, more difficult paths, to throw off the enemy. Lena knows the girls don't  _ get it _ . That they hate being outside of their secure area, moving targets, feeling the hidden eyes following them across their path, just waiting to get shot at. Lena knows that despite how good of a shape they are all in, this is  _ hell _ . Her own bones ache and her muscles are too tight after less than an hour of maneuvering.

Every time they leave the wire, they get engaged and everyone is put at risk, but usually, they have the upper hand with higher firepower and unpredictability, but Lena’s soldiers just don’t  _ get it _ .

They get back one day after a particularly terrifying experience where someone had tripped while running to cover and bullets had landed mere inches from their head. Lena had run out after the girl, taking her off the ground and pushing her out of harm's way, but still, everyone had been very shaken. On their way back, Lena can hear grumbling from the back of the group, a festering disdain for these conditions. When they get back, it finally seems to boil over.

Walking back into the base, girls begin throwing off their equipment, happy to relieve themselves from the weight. Some girls who had stayed behind come up to their friends, asking for updates on what they’d experience. Lena is shedding her jacket when a boot slams into the wall beside her.

The loud bang shakes her to her core. She has to place her hand against the solid space before her to calm herself. 

A hush has fallen over camp.

“Yeah… I’d say that’s about how close the bullets got to West,” a voice growls.

Lena turns to find Leslie Willis staring her down, Specialist Lance standing beside her, looking horrified.

Finishing hanging up her coat, Lena turns to face the eyes watching carefully for her response. “Got something to say, soldier?”

“Yeah. I do. I think you’re setting us up.”

A small raise of Lena’s brow seems to set her off further.

“This fucker is setting us up as bait! She’s just like-”

That’s crossing a line. Lena can take people tearing her down, she’s dealt with that her whole life, but she won’t be compared to her family. “Just like?” she questions, daring her to continue.

“I’m so sick and tired of this shit,  _ Luthor, _ ” Willis shouts, kicking over 

Lena clenches her jaw, hands forming into fists, preparing herself for the fight she can see forming in Leslie’s stance.

She’s been beat up before for being related to Lex, she knows how to handle herself in situations such as this. Lena is preparing for the first punch when Kara steps in between them.

“She’s kept you alive this long. Show a little respect.”

“Give me a  _ break _ ! You think she actually  _ cares  _ about us?

Kara stands up straighter, puffing her chest out. “ _ I _ believe in her.”

“She’s just waiting the right moment to stab us in the back!”

“Lena has saved your life and everyone else on this team’s life on _ multiple _ occasions. She wouldn’t risk her life for yours if she was just going to try and take it later. She’s a good leader… And a loyal one. I think a lot of people in this company would have a problem if you tried to start anything right now.”

Nostrils flaring, Willis bares her teeth. “You are such a  _ kiss-ass _ , Danvers!” Leslie spits, lunging for the other girl. The punch Kara gets to the eye sends her to the ground and Willis steps right over her to shove Lena against the metal sheet of the barracks.She lands one punch to Lena’s nose before Iris is yanking her off, gifting it right back to her.

“She saved my life. You’re gonna have to go through me if you wanna lay a hand on Sergeant Lena.”

Vasquez stands, offering Kara a hand to help her up. “Me too.”

All of the other women move to stand between them and Lena has ever felt such a surge of pride. That in all her time with this group she had finally managed to earn their respect

Leslie snarls, but retreats back away from them. 

Lena lets her head hit the surface behind her. She’s going to have to call this in.

A broad hand comes to rest against her shoulder. Lena is practically engulfed by the caring baby blue of Kara’s eyes. “You okay.”

All she can do is nod. 

“Your nose is bleeding.”

“It’s nothing,” she tries to push her away, unsure of how to react to someone doting on her.

“Of  _ course _ it’s something… At least let Susan make sure it isn’t broken.”

Unable to say no, Lena nods and lets everyone watch as she gets checked out.

 

**8.**

One night, it’s surprisingly quiet. No shots ringing off into the dark. Just the crackle of fire in their makeshift courtyard as they sit around eating their MREs. 

Lena is staring off into the distance, waiting for something to go wrong, when there is a shuffle on the rocks beside her and a warm presence appears. 

“Hey,” Kara bumps her shoulder. “You need to eat something.”

“I’ll do it later.”

“Lena…”

Unable to stop herself, Lena lets her gaze drift over and there's Kara, warm, solid and  _ safe _ . Still so bright after everything they’d experienced out here, the people they’ve lost.

She’s not sure when things changed, when she stopped viewing Kara as a chore and more as a place to go when she feels too overwhelmed. No one has ever tried so hard to make sure she’s okay the way Kara has over the last few months.

Kara is _ comfort _ , and here, in a place where that is so hard to come by and even harder to hold onto, it’s  _ terrifying _ . 

Suddenly, faced with this overwhelming feeling of something warm and fluttering in her chest, Lena finds herself saying: “I’ve never had friends like you.”

Kara’s face goes soft.

“Hell… I’ve never had family like you. No one’s ever stood up for me like that.”

Then Kara’s hand comes up off the rocks beneath them and then slowly, her fingers lace through Lena’s. The dark haired woman’s breath hitches.

“Well, now you have someone to stand up for you always.”

There it is again. That feeling of home. 

“I guess I will eat something,” she says, just so Kara will feel better.

The dog tags around her neck don’t feel as much like a death sentence when Kara smiles at her like that. “Great! I’ll go get you something.”

She feels cold when their hands unlink, but there is the promise of Kara’s return fresh in her mind and it eases the chill.

Lena watches her go and out of the corner of her eye she swears she sees M’Gann and Iris share a look.

 

**9.**

Hunkering down, against the barrier, Lena can’t allow herself to freeze. This could be  _ it _ .

The amount of firepower they are under is staggering. The enemy must’ve gathered reinforcements in the night.

Midday heat swelters through the air, bullets whip past too close for comfort and Lena knows this could be _ it _ .

Over a year with this unit and it could all end at any second.

**Crack.**

A bullet soars by her head.

Lena can’t stop long enough to let the true fear really kick in, but it’s there, behind her adrenaline.

**Snap.**

A bullet ricochets off the board beneath her rifle, she has to dodge the hot metal.

More projectiles follow. They’ve singled her out. 

Time to move. Stomach to the ground, gun perched on her back, Lena begins her crawl to the next open space to position herself.

Others around her move and weave, sending shots off at every available safe second. No one is relaxing. This is not like other engagements. This isn’t to keep them on their toes, to remind the army that they are there or a game. This is real.

“Evac needed! Section Two-Ten. We’re under heavy fire!” M’Gann shouts into a radio nearby. Airlift won't get there in time.

The enemy is trying to make this their last day on the mountain.

**Bang.**

Lena turns her head just in time to see a body drop.  _ Williams _ . Lena feels sick.

“Izzy!” Lena turns to see Kara, her eyes away from the battlefield and towards their fallen comrade. Then comes the whistle of something being launched their way.

“Kara! Get down!”

Her gaze shifts to Lena, looking hazy and scared.

Then the RPG hits. The mountain shakes like an earthquake and Kara hits the ground.

Their ears ring for a moment, but Kara pushes back up, releasing some of the tension in Lena immediately.

The feeling is short-lived when Kara gets that determined look Lena remembers from this first mission together and before Lena can get any order out, she’s in position, ready to sprint out into the exposed area Izzy’s body lay in.

Thank God for Susan Vasquez, because she grabs hold of the back of Kara’s uniform and yanks her to safety before she can put herself at risk.

Then Williams moves, barely, her hand gripping at rocks to pull herself up.

Shit.

The army code programmed into her from so young, _No Man Left Behind_ , echoes through her head. Lena is her superior officer and she cares. Her job is to keep these women safe and get them back to their families alive.

So, Lena mimics Kara’s position from moments before. Sparing a glance towards the girl, who is being held back as best as possible by other platoon members, Lena takes a calming deep breath. 

Then she attempts the run across the gap.

**_Crack._ **

Suddenly, all the gunfire sounds impossibly far away as everything narrows to a sharp pain in her abdomen. Lena’s vision goes blurry, allowing herself a strangled scream as she drops.

Hands falling just shy of Izzy. Lena pauses on all fours to try and regain composure, then, she’s moving them again, grabbing hold of the blonde’s vest and pulling her close as she attempts to gain leverage on the now unsteady rock.

**_Bang._ **

Her arm jerks back. She can feel the hot metal slide all the way through.

“ _ Lena! _ ” Kara’s voice is raw, just as agony ridden as Lena feels.

She lets out a puff of air, using another burst of energy to move herself and Izzy further.

**_Psssh._ **

Stone starts to tumble near her head, bouncing against her skin.

Wrapping a leg around William’s midsection, Lena switches the use of her good arm to get a firmer grip on sediment above them and starts to pull, screaming with the effort it takes to haul them both even a few inches.

“ _ LENA! _ ” Kara shouts again, straining against her companions. Lena can’t make out them trying to deliberate on what to do as she heaves them up again. 

“Leave me,” Williams coughs, half-heartedly trying to pry her off.

She could get up and go to safety herself, there’s nothing wrong with her legs, but she won't leave anyone behind.

Readjusting her grip, she tugs again.

“LENA!” This time, Kara is able to jerk her body hard enough that her body comes free and she tumbles out into the opening.

Her warm palms go to cover Lena’s wounds, attempting to stop the bleeding.

“Get Williams out of here.”

“What about you?”

“That’s an order, Danvers.” She glares, hoping that even through her persona as Sergeant, Kara can see her saying goodbye. See her thinking about how Kara means so much more to her than she should.

“Lena-” she gasps, her eyes welling with tears.

“ _ Go! _ ”

Sobbing and shaking her head, Kara takes a hold of Izzy and pulls her up, dragging her away.

Steeling herself for pain, Lena makes to follow, pushing herself up, arm slung across her stomach as she breaks into a sprint.

**_Bamn._ **

Her knees slam into jagged rock and she squeezes her eyes shut. Her calf sears. She attempts another push forward, but with a damaged leg, it’s near impossible to keep going.

Dropping down to be closer to the ground, she narrowly avoids another shot.

This _ is _ it. Breathing down into the pebbles, she tries to gather up good memories into her head, willing the last thing she thinks about to be good. 

The rain. 

Her newfound closeness with her team. 

Kara’s singing. 

Kara’s eyes. 

Kara’s bravery. 

She’s bracing for some sort of impact when suddenly a familiar warmth is against her, pushing her onto her back, arms then looping around, under her knees and shoulders.

Then Kara starts to run, holding Lena’s body as close as she can. 

Lena’s eyes aren’t open, but she can _ feel  _ when they reach cover. Kara’s muscles relax a little.

Then by some sort of grace, the hum of helicopters becomes audible in the distance.

The mountain shudders again with the power of another blast.

Members of the platoon start to take notice of the situation at hand.

“Multiple soldiers wounded,” M’Gann relays to their oncoming saviors. “One of them is First Sergeant Lena Luthor.”

“ _ Nearly there, Colonel. Hold on, _ ” the pilot responds.

M’Gann slams the radio down. “Everyone! Hold them off! We’re nearly out!”

Kara starts to rush towards where they will be picked up, passing people by as she goes.

“Lena?” Iris asks, hands roaming to check her even as Kara doesn’t stop moving.

“We need to go now!” Kara shouts, readjusting her hold on the smaller woman. Burrowing her head into Kara’s neck, Lena loses consciousness.

 

**10.**

Waking up in an unfamiliar place, with bright lights shining down on her, Lena nearly has a heart attack. There’s a long moment as the lights flood her vision that she thinks maybe religion wasn’t as bullshit as she’d made it out to be.

But then a loud snore comes from beside her and with a glance over, her eyes widen.

Kara is sprawled, rather uncomfortably, across two plastic hospital chairs.

“What the-”

Then the door opens and Lena jumps, ready to be on the defensive, just to find a short haired woman checking in.

“Sergeant Luthor. You’re awake.”

Her heart thuds rapidly at the possibility of danger. “Where am I? Who are you?”

“You’re back at STAR Base, in the hospital wing.” The fact that it’s home territory, a place she knows well that’s back on friendly soil, does wonders for the pressure in her chest. “How long have I been out?”

“About three days.”

A beat passes as she takes it in, heart monitor beeping in a nearby room. 

A flash of what happened before goes through her. “Izzy… Is she okay?”

The woman gives her a puzzled look.

Clearing her throat, she tries again. “Private Williams.”

“Oh! Yeah! She’s going to make a full recovery.”

“And the rest of my unit?”

“Safe and sound.”

It hurts, but Lena lets out a relieved laugh.

“... Do you want to know if you’re okay?”

Lena’s not so sure if she does, but nods anyway.

“Well, the wound on your arms was barely a graze, it went straight through. The one on your leg was a little more tricky, the shrapnel had to be extracted, same with the one in your stomach. That was a nasty hit. It will take a few months to heal. You won't be eligible for active duty for about six months.”

Lena quiets, allowing the news to sink in. She's not sure whether to believe it's good or not.

“Do you need anything?” The woman finally asks, breaking the silence that had overtaken them.

Lena glances over at the girl by her bedside, awkward and drooling on herself, and smiles. “I think I've got all I need right here.”

 

**11.**

Cat Grant is the one to debrief her.

She's different. Nicer than usual. Maybe it's the realization that Lena was not anything like her brother in terms of loyalty and that she'd go above and beyond for any other soldier.

She slips what Lena believes to be an apology in there somewhere and then comes the biggest news.

Lena has earned the Purple Heart for her acts of valor in the face of danger.

A year ago Lena never would've cried in front of Cat, but now, with fresh scars across her body and people to call friends, she lets go.

 

**12.**

A week later, as Lena lays in her hospital bed, Kara still beside her, although more lively, her platoon comes for a visit.

The doctors don't want to let them through, but they insisted. So, ten women pile into her room and they finally, finally ease up around her.

Everyone says they love her and Vazquez goes as far to say she's never respected anyone more. This prompts some nodding from other members and Lena starts to lose it again, but they gently wrap her in hugs and dab tissues beneath her eyes.

They talk for a few hours before the subject finally changes to something more serious.

“We’re all going home. This is the end of the tour.”

Lena figured as much, but realizing that they won't ever fight side by side again makes something in Lena feel a little empty.

They promise to do reunions. Lena doesn't doubt it. Once you’ve spent that much time protecting someone’s life it becomes hard to let go. She knows they’ll all be together again.

Izzy is the last to go. Her hug is longer and tighter and she sniffles against Lena’s neck before murmuring a gentle “thank you,” into her ear and kissing her on the forehead.

Kara turns to her when they are all gone and it fills Lena with dread.

“I’m shipping out in a few days too.”

Her heart sinks.

Kara looks lost. “But… I was thinking… maybe I- we could- I don't know what your living situation is, but maybe we could… live together? For old times sake.”

Lena blinks a few times, wondering for the millionth time just how they’d chosen her to take care of Kara, and how Kara ended up watching out for her instead.

“I mean- we don't have to. It's just an idea-”

“I'd love to.”

“-And I know- wait. Really?”

Lena bites her lip to stop from smiling as she squeezes Kara’s hand. “Yeah. Really. Might be nice to have some backup around.”

Kara bubbles up, everything about her easy and bright. “So, I'll go ahead of you? Find us a place? I can email you pictures.”

Lena just nods, settling herself back onto her pillows. Maybe home really wasn't as far as it sometimes seemed during deployment, maybe it had always been there, in the form of Kara Danvers.

 

**13.**

Freshly discharged from the hospital, Lena has to use a crutch to walk. She won't be able to put much pressure on her leg for at least a few months. 

As she walks out into the general area of the airport, Lena is able to pick out Kara immediately.

The sweats she wears are nearly identical to the ones she’d had on base, except cleaner. Lena wonders if they are softer too.

Kara perks up when she spots Lena, duffle bag slung over her arm as she moves.

A few wide steps and the bag leaves Lena’s custody, resting instead on Kara’s muscular shoulder. It's a relief that she doesn't have to pretend to not notice just how attractive Kara is anymore.

“Hey, Sergeant,” she teases, nudging the dark haired woman.

“ _ Lena _ .”

“You gonna lecture me?” Kara grins.

“I'm not your superior anymore.”

“You were terrifying when I first met you.”

“I get that a lot.”

“But really…” Kara gets a little quiet and Lena chuckles to herself.

“I think… I think it's safe to say my feelings for you have changed since then.”

Kara hums amusedly. “How so?”

“I don't hate you… I'm actually… quite fond. I think my feelings might have been inappropriate considering the circumstances.”

They wander out of the exit and Kara directs her towards where her car is parked.

“Well… our circumstances have  _ also _ changed.”

“That they have.” Lena looks at her, taking in the birds chirping around them and the smoke-free air. Her first few moments in a normal life.

Popping the trunk open, Kara places the bag inside and then leans against the metal. 

Feeling the new energy around them, Lena takes slow steps closer, feeling like a shy adolescent again.

“But… You being bossy wasn't always bad.”

Lena raises an eyebrow, leaning more weight onto her crutch. “Oh?”

Unexpectedly, Kara’s large hands sneak their way beneath Lena’s t-shirt to meet the warm skin of her stomach, fingers brushing just above the waist of her pants. She's bolder than Lena would've imagined.

“I can't say I didn't  _ think _ about it sometimes.”

Lena honest to God blushes at the implications behind it.

Nodding to her injured side, Lena responds: “I think my days of being in charge are over for a while.”

“That's okay. I’m sure  _ I _ picked up a thing or two from you.”

Kara’s eyes shine with mirth and a slight smirk appears on her pretty pink lips. Lena finds that this side of her is just as enjoyable as the sometimes idiotic brave soldier she’s known for all these months.

Maneuvering her weight to her good foot, Lena leaned her crutch against the car and places her palms against Kara’s collar bones. Lena wonders what else she’ll get to discover with their newfound freedom.

Then she decides she wants to know what kind of kisser Kara Danvers is.

Slowly, she brings a hand to Kara’s neck pulling her down.

There's no hesitation for either woman and Lena swears she's never kissed anyone with lips more perfectly matched to her own. 

Despite the fact Kara had been Lena’s solace for a duration of their tour, Kara’s lips on hers sets her heart into fast motion. Lena finds she doesn't mind the adrenaline if Kara is the reason for it and neither of them are in harm's way.

Her legs start to give out, and not from her injuries, so Kara wraps her arms around Lena’s waist, pulling their bodies close together. Lena nips at her lip and Kara mirrors the action, smiling as she does.

Lena groans embarrassingly loud and suddenly becomes very aware of just where they are.

Reluctantly, both of them pull back, resting their foreheads against each other.

Kara’s eyes are just as bright and just as blue as the day they’d met, but now Lena finds them captivating instead of infuriating. Kara has softened her, but maybe that’s a good thing.

“I have a feeling one of the bedrooms in our apartment won't be getting much use,” Kara giggles.

Lena grins and pulls her back into a more innocent kiss. “Not if I get my way.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was really inspired by season two of the podcast Serial (it's not at all the same story, I just got really into it for some reason and then I started thinking about soldier Lena). I also watched the documentary Korengal for this (I feel like if you've seen that you'll be able to see it's influence on this fic) and was inspired by [this](https://youtu.be/SiMtyHxiYgA) scene from Wentworth that Alex referred me to.
> 
> Writing reference on Tumblr has been a HUGE help for research, but I can't say that everything in this fic is 100% accurate, so please, if you know and catch a mistake, hit me up, I want this to be as accurate as possible.
> 
> Also, I was moving the entire time I wrote this, so this will be the last fic I write in this place I've done all my work... I'm not sad... 
> 
>  
> 
> My Tumblr: [darlinglena](http://buckythirteen.tumblr.com/)


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